Animal/Zoo Photography
Don Johnson
I love to take photos of animals, whether in the wild or at a zoo. However, taking photos of animals in the wild presents a host of problems for a photographer. Are the animals where you think they will likely be? What is the terrain like – can you reach them? Are the animals difficult to approach – do they scurry away when they see people? How much time do you have to photograph the animals? Are the animals likely available all day, or for just part of the day? While many of us have overcome these problems, it is oblivious that the list of problems relating to photographing animals in the wild is long. Don’t get me wrong, you can take great animal photos in the wild, but it takes work and preparation.
A zoo is an excellent place to photograph animals. Think about it. Unlike in the wild, the animals are always there – you know when you go a zoo that the animals will actually be there, no matter the time of day or the season of the year. They are also used to people so they are not as skittish, and certainly can not run off when they see a photographer. In many cases the animals are also rather exotic. To produce an image of a lion in the wild, for example, you would have to travel to Africa – a costly and time consuming endeavor. The local zoo can be much more affordable. And you can go back time after time after time to get the perfect image. And if a particular animal is not in a good position, or in poor lighting, you can simply move on to the next exhibit.
Don’t get me wrong. A zoo environment still presents problems for a photographer. The animals may be asleep or not very active. The backgrounds or foregrounds of enclosures can pose difficulties. Opening and closing times can reduce access when the lighting is best. Screens, cages, glass reflections and people hanging out near the exhibits can be a challenge when you are looking to produce naturalistic looking images. You also may be unable to use the images you produce for commercial purposes unless you check with the zoo first. But if you are looking to produce wonderful images of animals, please consider the zoo.
As with any animal photography, the creatures may not do what you want them to do — the animals may be turned the wrong way, not very active, or simply won’t look in your direction. The lighting may be poor. But this is nothing new with animal photography. It goes with the territory.
Believe it or not, I have visited 52 different zoos across North America, and one in Europe. Some are excellent. Most are wonderful. And frankly, some are rather depressing. But all have provided me with an opportunity to get “up close and personal” with a variety of local and exotic animals for photographic purposes.
In my presentation, I will show examples of my zoo photography. I will provide tips describing how I took the images, including how to photograph through a fence or through glass. I will also discuss the equipment I use. I will, additionally, tell some interesting stories of my experiences at various zoos. You can learn a lot by going to a zoo – both in terms of photography and in terms of animal behavior.
We have some excellent zoos in this area. You should consider going sometime in the relatively near future. You may surprise yourself and produce some outstanding images.
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Bio:
I have been a serious amateur photographer since the mid-1980s. I first learned the basic elements of photographic design, composition, and equipment taking a photography course while in college, back in the “dark ages” when everything was done manually and film was the only way to produce an image. After graduation in 1971, I pursued other important activities such as career building and raising a family, but I always maintained an avid interest in photography.
In the mid-1980’s, I returned to the hobby of photography on a more serious basis. My wife reignited my interest in the activity after giving me a new camera one year for the holidays. Much to her chagrin, this stimulated further photography equipment purchases, but also inspired me to produce better images.
Over the years, I have had a number of my photographs published. In February 1997, Popular Photography, billed as “the world’s largest imaging magazine,” selected one of my photographs for their “Your Best Shot” column. I have also produced cover photographs for The AOPA Pilot magazine and Ballooning: The Journal of the Ballooning Federation of America. I also had three of my images published in the fall 2006 issue of Nature’s Best magazine, one of which appeared on the cover of the issue. Another photograph in the issue was selected as the top “Zoo and Aquarium” photograph of the year. The winning “Zoo and Aquarium” image, along with another image from the publication, were displayed at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History between November 2006 and October 2007. I have also been published in Zoogoer, a publication for the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ). I have appeared a number of times in Photoshop Elements Techniques magazine, a publication devoted to educating users of this excellent computer software program, my primary digital editing software.
Over the years, I have won a number of awards in various local photography competitions and have had a number of my images displayed in various locations in the DC area. I have also won numerous awards at BetterPhoto.com, an online photography community that receives upwards of 15,000 photo submissions a month for their monthly photo contest. I am also very proud of the fact that I have sold a number of my photographs to people I don’t even know!
I am a past President of the Gaithersburg Camera Club and a former President of the Frederick Camera Clique, a photography club located in Frederick Maryland. In addition to maintaining my active membership in these two clubs, I am also a current member of the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) Photography Club. I have spoken at most of the photo clubs in the DC area.
I use Nikon equipment and I am currently exploring the world of digital photography with a Nikon D300 digital camera. I love to travel and always take my camera when I go someplace new for either business or pleasure. I especially enjoy taking photographs of zoo animals, flowers, sunsets/sunrises, famous places, and producing photo abstracts using a computer. For me, photography is a life long hobby — one that I plan on enjoying until I can no longer push the shutter release button.
In the real world, I work for the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, an organization located in Arlington, Virginia, as the Association’s Director of Market Research.
My family seems to think that most of the salary I earn goes to fund my photography “addiction,” but that is not really true — or at least I think it’s not really true. Lately, I’m afraid to check.
I live in Gaithersburg, Maryland with my wife. I have three grown children.